The recommended structure of a spreadsheet

A spreadsheet that imports well follows a few simple rules. None of them is a requirement you could not work around, but together they make every later import easier.

The layout#

1. Row 1 is the header. One name per column, all different (column headers). A column without a name is called by its position, such as Column C, which changes when a column is added before it. A file without one can be read with its columns named by position, but names are safer (files without a header row).
2. One row is one item: one post, one page, one article. Do not spread an item over several rows, and do not use blank rows or subtotal rows between items; blank rows are skipped, but a row with some text in it is an item.
3. One column is the item's ID: a value that stays the same for that item in every file you ever upload. It is what makes next week's file update the item instead of creating it again (choosing the record ID).
4. One piece of information per column. Title, body, category and tags each have their own column, so each can be mapped to its own field.
5. A column for everything that differs between rows. If every row has the same status or author, you do not need a column: set it once as a fixed value in the configuration. If it differs per row, a column lets you control it.

Which columns do you need?#

Only what your destination requires, plus what you want to control. The destination decides what is required: WordPress needs a Title; Joomla needs a Title and a Category. Everything else is optional (required and optional columns).

A useful set for posts or articles:

Columns that Content Uploader does not use are harmless: the file's page lists them as not used.

Keep it stable from week to week#

The configuration remembers your columns by name. Keep the names the same from one file to the next, add new columns freely, and remember the rule for changing them: if a column the configuration uses is missing or renamed, the file is not processed and the page says which column is missing (when the columns change).

Several kinds of content#

If you publish different kinds of content (articles and pages, or two sites), keep a separate spreadsheet and configuration for each. A configuration publishes to one site and one content type.

Examples#

The example spreadsheets show these layouts with real data you can import into a test site.